


(Dreaming of a) White Christmas

by lormenari



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Happy Ending, Tropes Everywhere, christmas tropes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 20:34:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13220724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lormenari/pseuds/lormenari
Summary: Betty and Jughead have been best friends since they were little kids. Jughead's held a crush on her almost as long.





	(Dreaming of a) White Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aisfor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aisfor/gifts).



> Happy New Year's Eve! This is my Bughead Secret Santa contribution! It has not been beta'd or edited and I wrote most of it while on vacation! I hope everyone likes it, but especially my giftee!

Fire alarms rang out in the building and jolted Jughead out of bed. He spared a look at the clock and noticed it was just after four in the morning. He had only been a sleep for a little over an hour.

“Just my luck,” he said out loud as he grabbed a pair of fleece pajama pants and pulled them on. Jughead grabbed the closest shirt he could find – an old one with the letter “s” on it – and grabbed his wallet and phone, after slipping on a pair of Vans, before heading downstairs. If there was really a fire it would be bad to see the cash in his wallet go up in flames, regardless of how little he had.

He, along with others on his floor, headed towards the stairs. It didn’t dawn on him, until he started to look around at those people, that he was only in his t-shirt and pj bottoms. He was going to freeze.

Everyone managed to get out of the building and were waiting around, mainly in the road, as the super and firefighters figured out what was going on. Jughead _was_ freezing. The temperature had dropped to forty-two degrees, and while winter in New York would colder, it was pretty cold for what he was wearing.

“Jughead!”

At the sound of his name, the man turned to see who was calling him.

“Betty,” he said, his voice sounding relieved. Honestly, he forgot she had moved into the building recently, her apartment was on the floor below his, but seeing her safe did make him happy. She was his childhood best friend and he wanted nothing bad to ever happen to her.

“What are you wearing? Get over here. You’ll catch a cold.”

A wry grin broke out on Jughead’s face as Betty opened the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, so he could get in with her. Her pajamas had reindeers and polar bears and he would have commented on the cliché holiday pajamas but thought better of it. Getting kicked out of Betty’s blanket was not something he was prepared to face tonight.

“You are definitely more prepared than I am,” he told her once he was secured in her blanket. He couldn’t stop thinking about the heat her body gave off as they huddled in the cold.

“Does that surprise you?” she asked, her eyes dancing with mirth despite the reason for them being outside at an ungodly hour.

“Not in the least. What does surprise me is how cold your hands are. Damn.”

“Maybe if you would hold them they wouldn’t be,” she quipped, her eyebrow raising in a challenge.

It would be a lie to say that his heartbeat didn’t pick up or that his stomach didn’t flip but he rolled his eyes anyway, hoping she didn’t see right through him. He desperately tried to figure out how he could, in fact, hold her hand while keeping them in the blanket. When he thought he had basically figured it out and was about to attempt to do just that, the Super got their attention and told them it was a false alarm, and everyone was allowed to go back in.

“Go get some rest, Juggie. You look tired.”

He took note of how soft her eyes looked as she spoke to him, how her voice dropped in volume, and how they were soon the last of the tenants outside.

“You’re right,” he replied, his voice as equally low, “Only one of us needs beauty sleep and it’s definitely not you.”

The blush that ran across her cheeks was not lost on him. If this had been earlier or later than four in the morning he might not have said anything but with only one hour of sleep his brain allowed his true thoughts to leave his mouth.

They walk back to the building together, the blanket draped over Jughead’s arm, and their fingers barely linked. Tomorrow he will chalk it up to the cold, his lack of sleep, and the fact that they survived what could have been a fire – even though that last reason is pushing it.

She stops at her floor, takes her blanket from him, and gives him a kiss on the cheek before leaving him at the stairs. He watches her to make sure she gets back to her room okay and then walks the remaining flight of stairs in stupor. As he reaches his door he realizes his cheek still tingles from where her lips were.

\- - -

Without looking at the name listed, Jughead sleepily pressed the green button his phone after it rudely woke him up.

“...’Ello…” he mumbled before stifling a yawn.

“Jughead. Are you still asleep? It’s two o’clock!”

He sat straight up in bed, rubbed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Betty was on the phone and suddenly he wasn’t as sleepy as he was before. A full day and night had passed between their last encounter and Jughead wondered if maybe she was avoiding him. Perhaps the late night and the cold had gotten to her, too, that night, and she was regretting everything that happened between them. Not that much _had_ happened. Jughead tended to make things a lot more dramatic in his head than they really were, something he was fully aware of.

“Uh…yeah. I stayed up working on my novel.”

“Oh, well, I’m sorry, Jug. I was going to ask you if you wanted to come and bake some cookies with me. You’re going back to Riverdale for Christmas, right? We could just go together, split the gas, make things more bearable for both of us...”

Betty usually knew better than to dump a lot on him when he first woke up but something must have been bothering her because she was not slowing down. He would have to tackle one thing at a time, it seemed, so he got up and started to get dressed, the phone between his ear and shoulder.

“You’re going too fast, Bets. I’m getting dressed now. What time do you want me over?”

A world where Jughead Jones said no to Betty Cooper was honestly impossible to imagine. Ever since they were young kids, Jughead found it hard to say no to his best friend. It only grew harder the older they got – and the bigger his crush on her grew.

“Thanks, Juggie!”

He could hear her beaming through the phone and he wondered when he started being able to discern things such as that. A part of him believed he might have always been able to.

\- - -

“You’re really bad at this,” she told him, her giggle escaping as she looked down at what was supposed to be a Christmas tree cookie. It was green, she would give him that, but other than that it could barely be called tree.

“Well, pardon me, Betty Crocker.  I didn’t know cookie decorating would come with commentary.”

“You should know by now that everything we do together contains commentary. Even decorating cookies. Check out mine.”

Betty held up, what could possibly be described as, the perfect Christmas tree cookie. The green icing had been lined, filled in, and then decorated impeccably. He playfully rolled his eyes at the cookie.

“It’s amazing. Everything about you is amazing.”

The air was still and quiet as his words came out. She looked up at him from under her eyelashes and Jughead could feel his heart trying to escape his chest. He was going for light, but the words were so heavily laced with his real meaning that even she could tell.

“Thanks, Jug,” she said, after a moment, her eyes searching his for something and it was making him nervous.

She turned away and Jughead was left wondering if she found what she was looking for.

“So,” she started, a few moments gone by, “do we want to head back to Riverdale together? It just seems easier. I promise not to play too many Christmas songs.”

If only he could see her eyes again, try to figure out _anything_ about what she was thinking, but she was studiously decorating her next cookie.

“Yeah. That sounds good. I’ll pay for half the gas. I should be able to borrow Dad’s truck when I’m in town. Unless you want to take my truck down…”

“We can take my car. It gets better mileage. Spilt gas and the drive?”

“Of course.”

The mood seemed heavier and Jughead berated himself inside of his head for once again messing up. They had almost held hands. Jughead can still remember the last time he held hands with Betty Cooper. It was in third grade and she had fallen on the playground earlier that day and it hurt to walk on. Archie had been sick, and it was just the two of them walking home together. If the third Musketeer had been available perhaps Betty would’ve been given a piggyback ride but Jughead didn’t think like that. He did, however, reach out and hold her hand all the way to her house before turning the corner and making his way to his house. That was before his dad lost his job and they moved to the South side.

“Betty, I-“

“Yes?” she asked, almost as if she was expecting him to say or ask something.

He hesitated before changing his mind and stopped he words from coming out of his mouth despite them being on the tip of his tongue. “White Christmas” began to play across the radio and Jughead held his hand out to her.

“I want to dance with you.”

The air was palpable as the first words from Bing Crosby filled the air. Her hand was small in his but he held it tight as he pulled her to the small living room in her apartment. His arms wrapped tightly around her and after a moment she laid her head on his chest. Not a sound apart from the soft music could be heard as the best friends moved slightly on the rug. After a moment Betty began to hum along with the song. Jughead realized, in that moment, that her voice was his favorite.

The song ended and the two of them stayed like that for moments after; lost in the magic of the moment.

“We will leave in two days,” she said, her head still on his chest.  

“Okay,” he answered, his breath on her ear making her shiver.

If he hadn’t been scared to ruin the delicate balance between them he might have leaned down and kissed her soundly on the mouth. His heart had to be beating erratically under her ear. Yet, as always, he didn’t cross the line between impossibly close best friends and something more.

It was too dangerous.

\- - -

Jughead has just reached Betty’s door when it flung open, effectively hitting him in the face. Betty let out a shriek and then covered her mouth - neither action helping him out at all - before dropping her bag and walking over to make sure he was okay.

“Let me see! I am so sorry, Jug.”

“I’m fine,” Jughead mumbled, his hand still over his head. “It’s what I get for being so tall.”

“Juggie…”

Jughead dropped his hand from his head in order to let Betty look him over. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have moved his hand but Betty asked.

“Well, there’s a slight bump but I think you’ll survive. If you start feeling bad then we will visit the doctor.”

“I don’t need a doctor,” he protested.

“Just remember...I can tell when you don’t feel okay.”

Jughead resigned himself to his fate and picked up his duffel bag. He then grabbed his laptop bag. Both were a little ragged. Betty rolled out her luggage and they both took the stairs down together.

They got everything in Betty’s car and Betty started it. Both had their seatbelts on and she had Christmas music lightly playing in the background.

“Archie and Veronica will be in on the twenty-fifth. They are spending Christmas Eve with her family,” Betty explained.

“Wanna bet he proposes?”

The girl next to him smiled and nodded her head in his direction.

“Oh, I think that’s a given. We should bet on how he does it.”

Their ride went on like that, laughing and bantering, until it was time to get gas. Jughead filled up her car and they switched seats. Betty turned the music up a little bit and watched the snow falling outside the car.

So many words were on the tip of his tongue yet he couldn’t manage to get them out. Fear rushed through his thoughts as he contemplated finally telling her exactly how he felt. Losing her in any capacity was so terrifying that he knew it would be better to shut his mouth and remain her friend.

Betty fell asleep, her head against the window, as Jughead drive the remaining distance back to their hometown.

\- - -

Hours later they pulled into the Cooper driveway. Betty startled awake and shot Jughead a sheepish look. He waved it off, using his hands to let her know that it wasn’t a big deal.

“I can drive you to your dad’s,” she told him, her hand coming up to rub her eyes.

“Don’t worry. I was talking to Archie on the way home. He said Fred would drive me." 

“You didn’t have to do that. I’m sorry I was such a sucky companion.”

“You were great. You’re always great.”

Her eyes grew wide but before she could say anything, Jughead got out of her car. Alice Cooper had just came out to welcome her youngest daughter home. Jughead smiled softly at the older woman before grabbing his bags out of the backseat. Betty was out of the car and their eyes met over luggage.

“Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Meet at midnight at the treehouse?” she asked.

“It’s tradition.”

Betty grinned at Jughead and nodded her head before grabbing her bag and locking her car. Jughead made his way next door but not before giving Betty one last look he was sure Alice caught.

\- - -

After hanging up the FaceTime call with Jellybean, who promised that their mom was sending her to New York for New Year’s Eve, Jughead jumped in the shower. In less than an hour he would be meeting Betty at the old treehouse. It had long been abandoned but the last time he was in Riverdale he had reinforced the floor, so their increased weights wouldn’t send the small clubhouse falling to the ground.

He thought about everything as he washed up. His dad had sat him down yesterday and had a good talk about his life and his crush on Betty. If anyone knew the true extent of his crush on his best friend it would be his dad – and Archie, of course.

_“Take a chance. No one got anything they wanted by sitting on their asses and not going for it.”_

_“Dad, you don’t understand. Everything changes when I tell her.”_

_“Yeah, you’re right. But it could be the best change in your life.”_

Jughead sighed as he got out of the shower and towel-dried off. He threw on a pair of jeans along with a sweater and one of his Sherpa lined jean jackets. He glanced at the clock and realized that he should get going. After making sure he had his phone, Jughead set off down the street.

After getting to the abandoned lot their old treehouse was on, he started the climb.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Betty softly said as his head came threw the small hole.

It took him by surprise because he was usually the first one there. It was a good surprise, however, and an easy smile appeared on his lips. Jughead was guarded with everyone in his life. Even, at times, with his dad and Archie. However, Betty was the one that seemed to break down every single wall he had ever put up. She started when she was only a small child and she never stopped.

“You just saw me yesterday.”

“I think you’re well aware that you’re my favorite person, Jug.”

“What about Veronica? You know, the V to your B?”

Betty’s laugh was magical. He could listen to it all day and night if she let him. He wanted to push the small strand of hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear but he made his hands stay by his side; only allowing his eyes to touch her in anyway.

“Oh, I think we both know that V and B are the dynamite duo. Yet, B and J are kind of amazing, too. Both will last forever.”

He licked his lips as he watched her eyes fall on the small carving in the corner of the treehouse. Jughead had gone through a lot in his young life and after his mom left with Jellybean, he ran from his trailer to the treehouse. He was only twelve at the time and the small pocket knife his dad had given him that year was burning a hole in his pocket. He had taken it out, put it to the wood, and then let his hand fall. It was his intention to just cut away his frustration and hurt but he couldn’t deal with the idea that by doing so he would inevitably hurt Betty. Instead, he carved their initials with a plus sign in the middle. It was tiny and until this day she had never noticed it.

“Juggie? When did you do this?” she asked, her fingers reaching out to trace the letters as her eyes finally met his.

“Years ago…right after my mom left."

“Why didn’t you show me? That was thirteen years ago, Jug.”

Jughead shrugged his shoulders. “I guess it was something personal. My mom had just left and taken my baby sister with her. I wanted to come in here and just wreak havoc but…I guess you stopped me. Or thinking about you did. I didn’t want you to see a disaster when you came here.”

Betty, who had been watching him so very carefully, leaned over and wrapped her arms around him. They sat there, in that embrace, for at least ten minutes; both comfortable in the other’s arms.

After she pulled away, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. All he could think about was the way her lips felt against his skin.

“You are always taking care of me. When I decided to move out to New York after a year at a school I hated, you came back to Riverdale and helped me pack and move. You moved me into my dorm at Columbia. You took me out to celebrate graduating. You’ve held my hair back more times than I can count when I did a bit too much partying. When we were little you always made sure I was okay when I fell down or when I got my heart broken. Juggie…I love that about you. I love that you are so caring and wonderful, but, Jug, you need to take care of yourself, too. You need to make sure you’re alright.”

“I’m alright. I’m a survivor.”

“I need you to be more than a survivor, Jug. I need you to do stuff because you _want_ to. You work at a crappy bar because you have to in order to survive. You’ve put off working on your novel more times than I can count to survive. Do something for _you._ ”

What was he supposed to think when she was saying things like that and looking at him in the way that she was. Her eyes were huge, pleading, and all he wanted to do was surge forward and kiss her.

He didn’t.

He couldn’t even take her advice and do something for himself because he didn’t want to hurt what they had. What if he kissed her and she panicked or ran? What then? He would have ruined the best thing in his entire life.

“Okay,” he finally replied, a tiny smile ghosting his lips. “I’ll try.”

“Good,” she said, leaning back a little, her fingers on the initials once more.

“Mom said to invite you and your dad over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. She knows it’s just the two of you and since my dad left a few years ago and Polly is having Christmas with Jason’s family this year it’ll just be Mom and me.”

“Okay. I’m sure my dad will jump on the chance to have a good Christmas dinner.”

Betty beamed at him and leaned across to hug him once more.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jug.”

\- - -

The consumeristic nature of Christmas wasn’t lost on Jughead. Having to buy gifts in exchange for gifts seemed incredibly silly. Yet, he had been looking for something good enough to give Betty for a very long time. Probably since late July or early August. He had even written out a card – something along the lines of calling her his beloved – but that was left in his apartment back in New York.

The Jones men were ushered into the Cooper household by Alice. Jughead could feel her eyes on him and it unnerved him. Did everyone know how he felt about the youngest Cooper child? Was he so easy to read? No, he thought, he had been very careful. He had tried not to glance at her too long or give her any affection that was deemed more than necessary for best friends.

Jughead watched as his dad offered Alice flowers – still unsure about what type of background there was between the two older people – before turning his attention to Betty in the living room. She had on a very festive outfit and he couldn’t help but fondly think that she was the epitome of the Christmas spirit. It had always been her favorite holiday so even after his family split apart, he tried not to become too much like the Grinch.

Even if he had, he was sure Betty would have made his heart grow three sizes with just a look.

“Hey,” he said as he moved through the very heavily decorated living room.

“Juggie!”

She wrapped her arms around him and he reciprocated, their hug lasting as she laid her head over on him. After a moment she moved, and he presented her gift to her.

“I have one for you. I’ll get it in a minute. Can I open this now?”

He nodded his head, excited to see her reaction but at the same time fearful for it. She began to open it and her smile only grew wider as she opened the book and saw that it was a signed first edition.

“You spent way too much, Jug,” she whispered, her eyes alight with excitement.

“No. I promise I spent too little. You deserve so much more.”

Before she could say anything else, the two young people were called into the kitchen for dinner. Jughead followed Betty and sat across from her. Alice had insisted.

They ate in silence for the first five minutes or so before Alice began to ask about New York and how she was liking her new apartment.

“I love it,” she replied after swallowing her food. “Jughead lives on the floor above, which I know has to be a relief to you.”

Betty winked at Jughead before taking another bite of her food.

“At least I know someone is there just in case. Oh, Betty, I forgot to tell you! I ran into Trevor at the store the other day. He is down visiting his parents. He mentioned he moved to New York a few months ago.”

Jughead was curious about where this was going. Alice always had her motives, he learned that at a young age, and this was surely one of those times. Betty had briefly dated Trevor their junior year of high school but the two amicably separated ways due to Betty being so focused on the Blue and Gold and all her other extracurriculars. Later, Trevor had admitted to Archie that he was jealous of Betty’s relationship with Jughead.

“That’s nice.”

“Yes, I told him that I would give you his number. He mentioned not having plans for New Year’s Eve. Wouldn’t it be nice to invite him out with you? I know you like to go out…you go with, Jughead, usually, but FP has mentioned that Jellybean was going to be coming to spend that time with him this year so maybe you can take Trevor out.”

“Oh,” Betty said after a moment.

Jughead scrambled to remember if he told Betty that his eighteen year-old sister would be in town.

“Um…yeah. Sure. I’ll give him a call. Could be fun to catch up.”

“Exactly!”

Jughead pushed food around his plate as he thought about the two of them going out on New Year’s Eve. Ever since Betty had moved to New York, they had gone out together. They had been each other’s kiss – even if it was just on the cheeks – but this year would be different. Jughead’s stomach dropped to think about her kissing someone else.

He didn’t catch three pairs of eyes looking at him; all three waiting for him to say something.

Dinner finished rather quickly and for the first time in a long time he didn’t get seconds. He didn’t even finish eating. As soon as they were free to leave the table, he picked up his plate, cleaned it off and put it in the sink. Alice had mentioned that Betty and Jughead should go for a walk because it had finally started snowing but Jughead didn’t really feel up to that. Still, he put on his coat because Betty seemed excited, and the two of them walked out the door.

“I love when it snows on Christmas.”

He grunted in response, still unsure of how to act normal when he felt like she was going to be taken away from him. Self-awareness was something he prided himself on so he did, in fact, know he was acting like a complete idiot but he couldn’t stop himself from doing it.

“What is wrong with you?” she finally asked, turning to him as she walked.

“Nothing,” he replied.

“Okay…you didn’t eat much so I was worried you were getting sick.”

“Oh. No. I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t hungry.”

Betty raised an eyebrow in his direction. She didn’t believe it but she didn’t press. Jughead was relieved because he didn’t feel like getting into it tonight.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Jellybean?” she asked after a moment. They were down the block and turning, both heading in the direction of Pop’s even though they had just had dinner.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m used to it always falling through. I didn’t want to jinx it. I promise I would have told you.”

She nodded her head, understanding what he meant. Ever since he moved to New York, the plans to have Jellybean come visit him always fell through. It was hard to see him deal with that disappointment year after year.

“I get it. If I had known and wasn’t shocked I would have planned to stay in with you and JB.”

“You don’t have to do that…your mom was gunning for you to make plans with Trev.”

“I haven’t been on a date in close to three years, Jug. She worries about me.”

“You’re twenty-five. You’re not eighty and in a nursing home. You have plenty of time.”

He couldn’t help the way his voice sounded. She noticed it, of course, and stopped walking. Jughead could have walked on but he wouldn’t have left Betty there by herself.

“Why is it wrong of her to want me to date? I want to date, Jug. I want romance and a partnership with someone I love. Why is that so wrong? Why don’t you want that, too?”

“Who said I didn’t want that?” he asked, his eyes narrowing as he pushed his hands in his jacket. This was too much. Christmas shouldn’t hold heavy conversations like this.

“You’ve never…I’ve waited…”

“What are you talking about?”

Betty lifted her chin and looked him straight in the eyes. It unnerved him, yet he felt at home looking at her. Her chin trembled from resisting the urge to cry and all he wanted to do was wrap her up in his arms and apologize over and over for making her feel this way.

“Why, Jug? Why haven’t you said anything? Why haven’t you made a move? I’ve been waiting…for so long…since high school!”

Now she was crying, and he felt like the biggest jackass in the entire world. Jughead, finally, pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head as she released tears onto his jacket. After a moment she pulled away and furiously wiped the tears from her eyes.

“I told myself I wasn’t going to do this…but, Juggie, I’ve been waiting for you to tell me you’re in love with me. I can see it in the way you look at me. You love me.”

Suddenly everything was so simple. She knew. She knew, and nothing had changed between them. Jughead’s heart was still beating out of his chest and he felt tongue-tied.

“I’m not making that up, right? You do love me?” she asked, pulling away, the confusion in her eyes.

“No. God, Betty, no. You didn’t make it up.”

Jughead pulled her back to him, his hand on her cheek, and she nuzzled into his hand.

“I’ve been so stupid, Betts. I’ve loved you since I can remember but I was so afraid. I couldn’t lose you.”

Betty clenched his jacket with both hands as if she was afraid he was going to disappear with Christmas at midnight.

“You’re never going to lose me, Juggie. I’ve been here. Waiting.”

Not another word was said as Jughead finally kissed her.

\- - -

Alice and FP both looked up as Jughead and Betty came in the house, hands tightly wound together, and laughter on their lips.

“It seems you finally told her, huh?” FP asked after they removed their outer clothing.

“No. Your son is an idiot. We are together now, though. Sorry, Mom, you’ll have to lose Trev’s number.”

It was the adult’s turn to share a laugh and a look. Jughead sat down on the recliner and Betty plopped herself down on his lap.

“What’s with the two of you?” she asked, confusion on her face.

“Nothing.”

FP shot her a look and Alice rolled her eyes.

“Fine. I never ran into Trevor.”


End file.
